Thursday, June 26, 2014

Workshop and plot tour will highlight growing prairie plants for forage, bioenergy, and conservation

A workshop and plot tour on July 8 in Decatur will provide an opportunity to learn from the experts about growing native warm season grasses for forage or bioenergy and also for environmental benefits including wildlife habitat, clean water, and soil conservation. The workshop will start at noon and conclude at 5 p.m.; the plot tour will start at 6 p.m. and end at 8 p.m.  Attendees are welcome to come to the workshop, the plot tour, or both.

Workshop speakers include Ed Ballard, retired University of Illinois (U of I) Extension Animal Systems Educator, discussing warm season forages; D. K. Lee, U of I Assistant Professor of Crop Sciences, on research to improve bioenergy grasses; and Cristina Negri, Argonne National Laboratory, on sustainable bioenergy landscapes. Carol Williams, University of Wisconsin, will discuss the newly-formed Midwest Conservation Biomass Alliance. The workshop will also include project updates, additional talks on production and use of biomass crops, and a panel of producers discussing their experience with prairie plants grown for forage.
     
The tour of the Prairie for Bioenergy demonstration plots will allow participants to see a variety of warm season grasses and talk to producers, scientists, and educators about use of prairie plants for forage, bioenergy, and conservation. A soil pit will provide a look at the root system of the plants that helped form the fertile prairie soils of Illinois. The Agricultural Watershed Institute (AWI) established these plots on land owned by Caterpillar Inc. and managed by Soy Capital Ag Services.  

The workshop will be held in the National Sequestration Education Center on the campus of Richland Community College. Sign-in and networking will start at 11:30 a.m. Lunch will be provided.

The starting point for the plot tour is a designated area in Caterpillar’s D Parking Lot, which should be entered through the gate on the south side of Hubbard Avenue just east of 27th Street.  Caterpillar will provide shuttle service to the tour stops.  This event is sponsored by AWI, U of I Extension, and the Illinois Biomass Working Group.


Both the workshop and the plot tour are free and open to the public. Advance registration for the workshop is required to ensure availability of food and printed materials. To register or for further information, call or e-mail Tim McMahon at AWI by July 3 at 217-877-5640 or email tmcmahon@agwatershed.org.